What is Physical Therapy?
As quoted in an editorial that appeared in PT Magazine in October 1999, the publisher sums up what he defines as physical therapy: “Physical therapists are good people to know. They’re educated in understanding the interaction of all your body parts. Their hands-on approach begins with examination, diagnosis, and treatment of the immediate problem. Then they teach you how to take care of yourself by showing you how to do exercises and how to use your body properly to gain strength and mobility and prevent recurring injury. You’ll find them advising on proper posture and body motion in the work place, treating injuries, consulting on fitness, and administering physical therapy in the home. Today physical therapists provide help for every part of the body to everyone from infants to the elderly – more than 1 million people every day!
Physical Therapy is an allied health profession which promotes optimal health and function through the application of scientific principles to prevent, identify, assess, correct, or alleviate acute or prolonged dysfunction. The goal of physical therapy is to help individuals reach their maximum potential and to contribute to society while learning to live within the limits of their capabilities. Physical therapy is a growing health profession with career opportunities in hospitals, private practice, sports facilities, rehabilitation centers, home health agencies, research institutions, retirement communities, nursing homes, pediatric centers and schools.
This is not a textbook definition, however physical therapy is a form of rehabilitation that involves the assessment and treatment of various physical ailments. There are many different areas that a physical therapist can be involved in such as: Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Neurology, Wound Care, Chest PT and Geriatric PT to name a few. The therapist will perform an initial evaluation and then develop a treatment plan that will meet each individual’s patients specific needs.
Most of you may already know the benefits of physical therapy. There are many times when I get comments like “I know a great physical therapist that helped me recover from my stroke” or “My physical therapist helped me walk again” . However, there are still many people who have heard of the term physical therapy but are not exactly sure what we do. I still get many responses such as, “Aren’t you the guys who are supposed to give me a massage?” or, “Aren’t you the guys that put the hot packs and cold packs on people?” Let me just clarify what a physical therapist can do for you. A physical therapist is a professional who is dedicated to the treatment of individuals with regards to function, movement, wellness, and health. That seems very vague, but physical therapists are found in a wide array of settings, from hospitals, to nursing homes, to outpatient clinics, and in school settings. Physical therapists address the functional loss of a person, and try to help rehabilitate them back to
